Mariinsky Palace, Ukraine

Eugene sent me this postcard of the Mariinsky Palace in Kiev, Ukraine.  There's also another palace with the same name located in St. Petersburg, Russia, but it was built a century after the one in Kiev.

The Mariinsky Palace was built it 1752 by the request of Empress Elizabeth.  To this day, this baroquesque 2-storey building serves its festive and ceremonial functions for official presidential matters.

I've encountered a decade-old Ukrainian Weekly newspaper online and read that on March 21, 1999, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ukraine's then-President, Leonid Kuchma, signed a memorandum of mutual understanding to strengthen the ties between the two countries at the Mariinsky Palace.

Welcome to 1 of the many official cribs of the Ukrainian President

 It came with this stamp:

Wheat ears stamp issued in 2004

The Main Market Square in Kraków

 So I realized I haven't really been posting for a while now.  Happy New Year! I should update more.  I have about 50 more cards waiting to be posted here.  Should do this to help me prepare for the Foreign Service Exam this February.

Anyway, I received this card from Karol last June 2011.

The Main Square (or Rynek Glowny in the vernacular) has been at the heart of Krakow since the 13th century.  Over the years, the Rynek's function evolved from the economic to the social center of Krakow.  Once a gathering place for merchants all over Europe to sell and trade their goods, the Rynek now gathers tourists from around the world.  It's the perfect place to start seeing the famous landmarks in the city.

The Main Square and St. Mary's Basilica

It came with these stamps:

The Dwór w Łopusznej (manor house in Łopuszna) and 1 of the 6 Koty (cats) stamps designed  by Andrzej Gosik

Karol even added that he was getting married in 6 weeks.  Congrats on your marriage with the love of your life, Dorothy! :)

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This was my first official card from the Netherlands.  Sent on May 9, 2011, Ingrid writes, "this card is our capital, Amsterdam, famous for the channels, houses, and flowers, amongst others the tulips."

And the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997

The card came with:

Part of the 2010 Grenzeloos Nederland series, featuring relations with Suriname, a former colony

Split, Croatia

One of the most interesting Round Robins I've joined was the Themed Messages RR - Group 140B (What would you tell your 12-year-old self?) I got this postcard from Jelena, who told me what she would've told her 12-year old self.  Actually a very therapeutic RR.

Split is Croatia's 2nd largest city.  With a 1700-year old harbor, Split remains to be one of the Adriatic's most fascinating seaports.  Diocletian's Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be found in this city.

"Hello, is this Croatia?"

The card came with this stamp:

Valpovo Castle

Algarve, Portugal

This card was from Laura of the Netherlands.  In her Murder Mystery RR Group 11 card, she told me that she got this postcard during a vacation trip to Portugal this summer.

Many Europeans flock to Portugal's premiere holiday destination, The Algarve, in the summer for the wide, golden sands and the breath-taking cliff-islands that surround the coastline.  The Algarve is the perfect destination for families, couples, backpackers, photography enthusiasts, outdoor trekkers, and anyone who would like to admire the beauty that Portugal has to offer together with several thousand other tourists.

Ponta da Piedade, Lagos, Algarve

Coming, after all, from the Netherlands, the card came with this stamp: 

Created in 2008, Grenzeloos Nederland (Boundless Netherlands) features the relations between the Netherlands and Suriname

Insel Rügen

I received this winter view postcard from Nordbaer, one of the more active members in the Postcrossing Forum.  Got this through the Water RR Group 195.

Insel Rügen (Rügen Island) is Germany's biggest and most beautiful island located in the Baltic Sea.  The island offers something to tickle every fancy.  It doesn't matter if you're looking for a classic beach vacation or a more flexible getaway, Rügen has something for you!

60 km of sandy beach, white shorelines, sophisticated sea bathers, old fishing villages, romantic manors or phantasmagoric countrysides--Rügen Island offers a once-in-a-lifetime variety of attractions.

Yet another try at translation.  This description sounds better in German, I swear.  Haha.  It just seemed a like a good idea to translate a German description into English since I'm no good at ripping off English descriptions anyway. 

Yet another beautiful card intentionally ruined by the Philippine post office

Read more about Rügen here:
http://www.ruegeninsel.de (German)
http://www.ruegen-mv.de/ruegen_erleben/the_island_ruegen (English)

A Swan From Finland

This picture of a swan sent to me by Sointu was my first postcard from Finland.  

Photo by Frans Lemmens

It came with this stamp:

A stamp of the Torronsuo National Park issued in 2010

The Ancient House in Ipswich, UK

David from Felixstowe writes, "I live near . . .  Ipswich.  This is the largest town in the area with a population of 130,000.  The Ancient House was built in 1578 for a rich merchant.  It used to be my favorite bookshop, but now it sells kitchen goods."

Also known as the Sparrowes House 

The card came with this stamp:

Peony by Kate Faulkner, 1877

Saint-Victor-sur-Loire

I received my first postcard from France from Méline in May.  She writes, "Greetings from France, where spring looks like summer!"  She had just harvested her first strawberries the afternoon that she wrote me this postcard (May 5, 2011).

This postcard shows an eleventh-century church in Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, which is geographically separate from, yet is considered to be a neighborhood in the city of Saint-Étienne.  The medieval village is home to about 850 inhabitants so not much about it has been written in English.

This unnamed church has Romanesque-styled columns dating back to 1070.  Inside this ancient chapel are the statues of St. Victor, St. Antony, St. Roch, St. Eustachius, the Virgin in bronzed wood, as well as an altar of Louis XIII.

Saint-Victor-sur-Loire, la place de l'église

It came with this stamp:

In 2010, France issued a this stamp in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the independence of  Latin America and the Caribbean

Read more about Saint-Victor-sur-Loire in French here:
http://tresordesregions.mgm.fr/Mdir.php?p=cant.php&cl=SaintEtienne&region=82
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Victor-sur-Loire

Wuppertal, Germany

I received this postcard from Susanne.  In Wuppertal, where she is from, there is a special mode of transportation called the Schwebebahn (or floating train in English) as seen below.

Built in 1901 and having its first recorded fatal accident only in 1999, the Schwebebahn is the oldest and safest monorail system in the world.  It has survived both World Wars, various accidents, and turbulent events.

Looks extreme, but not as extreme as the German Autobahns with no blanket speed limit

The card came with this stamp:

St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006

Aukštaitija National Park, Latvia

This was from a direct swap with Gintare.  It was summertime there when she sent this (05/24/2011) and I was still away from the country then.

The beauty of the Aukštaitija National Park cannot be captured even by the greatest of writers.  One has to see and experience the deep, whispering forests and the bewitching blue lakes firsthand to enjoy one of Latvia's best-kept secrets.  But then again this national park is open to the public.  70% of the area is covered with forests, home to over 50 different bird species, 663 kinds of mushrooms, and other awesome stuff like an 800-year old Tranaiškis Oak tree.

126 lakes flow through the Aukštaitija National Park

The postcard came with this stamp:

The Great Snipe migrates to Africa in the winter

St. Petersburg, Russia

I was surprised to receive this card from Laura of Finland through the Mystery RR Group 11.

This postcard shows the Palace Bridge and the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.

Between 1901 and 1911, over 50 proposed designs for a bridge to cross the Neva River were rejected.  In 1912, Andrey Pshenitsky's designs were used to start the construction of the Palace Bridge, but because of WWI, the work was delayed.  The bridge was open to the public in 1916, but was fully completed 23 years later, in 1939, when the last decorative elements (such as iron-cast railings and street lamps) were installed.

And behind the bridge is the Winter Palace, home to Russian royalty since the 1760s.  Anyway this palace deserves its own blog entry so I'll write about it next time.

A year after its inauguration, it was called the "Republican Bridge", and restored to "Palace Bridge" in 1944

Like I said, this postcard came from Finland.  Here's the stamp to prove it:

The Rose Blossom stamp issued in 2009

Aveiro, Portugal

I got this postcard from Maria through the NDC RR Group 120 (symbols on your country's flag).  She writes that this card shows some views from Aveiro, called the Portuguese Venice because of several canals crossing the city.

Aveiro was originally known as "Aviarium" meaning a preserve for birds

This beautiful multiview card came with this multi-cultural stamp:

The Postal Union of the Americas, Spain, and Portugal (UPAEP) was founded in 1911

Manavgat Waterfalls, Turkey

My first postcard from Turkey was from Seda.  We were both in the Water RR Group 189, so she sent me a card of one of the most popular waterfalls in Turkey.  

3 kilometers from the village of Manavgat, one will find a beautiful body of water 2 meters high and 40 meters wide.  Yes, the Manavgat Waterfalls may not be high, but the powerful current causes the white foamy water to rush down the rocks and flow into the river and the trout-filled streams.

From 1968-1983, the image of the Managat Waterfalls adorned the reverse side of the 5 lira banknote

The postcard came with these stamps:

Mimar Sinan was the architect of over 360 Ottoman structures; the other stamp shows ancient Turkish art dated back to the Hittite period

Moscow, Russia

I got this multiview through a direct swap with Svietlana in May.

The top image features The Kremlin at night.  In the Russian language, кремль means fortress.  Though there are many other kremlins in Russia, the word is usually used when referring to the most popular one found in Moscow.

The administration of the Russian President (currently Dmitry Medvedev, but I'm pretty sure is once again going to be Vladimir Putin next year) is located in the Moscow Kremlin.

In the bottom image, we can see the Cathedral of the Assumption, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, and once again, the Moscow Kremlin.

The Cathedral of the Assumption is the oldest and the most important church in the Kremlin.  In 1326, the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church was transferred from Vladimir to here, making it the center of the state of Muscovy, the most powerful of the Russian principalities.  Here, tsars, Grand Dukes, and more importantly, emperors, were crowned.  Patriarchs, metropolitans, and bishops were also consecrated here.  Read more about the Cathedral's history here.

The Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, standing at 81 meters, was the tallest building in Russia for almost 400 years.  There are 21 bells in the tower and the belfry.  The largest is the Assumption Bell weighing 70 tons, and is the first bell to ring during church holidays.  Read more about the Bell Tower here.

Moscow is Russia's capital city

And what better way to send this postcard than together with a stamp of a kremlin?

The Ryazan Kremlin was founded in the year 800

Verzasca River, Switzerland

I keep forgetting that this postcard is from Switzerland.  Without googling any of the place names on the postcard, only a gray square containing a white cross would suggest that it came from Switzerland.  Of course, I didn't notice the Swiss flag in its grayscale mode so I had to google Ticino.

I received this postcard from Andy through the Water RR Group 189.  He says that the Verzasca River is quite "wild" but there are some parts (like the one shown on this postcard) that are calm.  Some people go bathing here in the summer despite the danger.

Italian is the sole language in Ticino, the southernmost canton in Switzerland

The postcard came with this stamp:

The Red Kite is a rare species endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe

San Marino

One of the first private swaps I've made through Facebook was with Luca from Italy.  On the Postcrossing Facebook Page, he posted that he was going to San Marino for a holiday and was open for swaps.  I checked his wishlist and the cards he wanted from the Philippines were so hard to find (e.g. the Tabon Cave Complex, Mt. Matutum, and other WTFNBSdoesnothavethis locations).  He already had a lot of postcards from the country and the places he listed on his blog seemed to be nonexistent in postcard form.  Weeks later, I chanced upon the last (therefore crappy) Panglao Island postcard.  I remember the card being on his list so the trade was on.

In this multiview card from Luca, we have an aerial view of San Marino City, the capital; Monte Titano, the highest peak in the country; and a night view of Palazzo del Governo, built in 1894.

Since San Marino is an enclave in Italy, it is not surprising to learn that the official language of the Republic is Italian.  With one of the lowest unemployment rates in the region and no national debt to boot, San Marino is considered to have a high stable economy.

The Republic of San Marino is one of the smallest states in the world and the oldest European Republic

The economy of San Marino relies on tourist activity and the production of postage stamps.  Since 1877, the Republic has been issuing its own stamps (i.e. not from Italy anymore) after signing an agreement with the surrounding Kingdom.  Here's a stamp that definitely helped support the San Marino economy:

Barcampertrenobus: Europeo per un turismo integrale

I can't really read Italian, but I think this stamp is a mobile bar, a cross between a train and a bus, filled with campers.  And the motto translates to: "Europeans for an integral tourism."

Minsk, Belarus

I received this postcard from Dima in Belarus.  The card contains 2 images: the Island of Tears on the left and Trinity Suburb on the right.

The Island of Tears was erected in 1996 as a monument to the 771 Belarusian soldiers who lost their lives in the Afghan War.  The monument depicts the mourning mothers of the soldiers who never came back.  The women are holding various icons such as photos of their sons and lamps, which symbolize the hope that their children might return someday.

Troitskoe predmestie, or Trinity Suburb, gets its name from the Roman Catholic Trinity Church that once stood in that area.  It's a small, quiet town with bars, restaurants, and small shops strewn on the streets.

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, is a the best example of Soviet planning

The card came with the following stamps:

The hare stamp was part of the Wild Animals stamps released in 2008.

I always associate Minsk with that Friends episode where Phoebe finds out that David will go to Minsk to do research.  Max says Minsk is in Russia, but we all know that it's not.  Well, Belarus was once part of the Soviet Union.  But come on.  That Friends episode was aired in 1994.

The Pashkov House in Moscow, Russia

This white palace, standing on Pskov Hill, is one of the most beautiful buildings in Moscow.  It was built in the 18th century by the renowned architect, Vasily Bazhenov, for the rich landowner, Peter Yegorovich Pashkov.

Today the building is currently owned by the Russian State Library, the biggest library in Europe (second in the world, after the US Library of Congress).

The Pashkov House is one of the places in Russia with a permanent rat problem

I got this from Marina through the Other Languages RR 195.  She shared a Russian saying, "Не имей сто рублей, а имей сто друзей" (Don't have 100 roubles, but have 100 friends).

The postcard came with the following stamps:

Part of the Mint Never Hinged Lighthouse set released in 2006 

Death-cup and meadow mushrooms, inedible mushrooms

The badger stamp on the left came from a joint issue with Belarus in 2005.  The Amur (Siberian) Tiger (scientific name: Panthera tigris altaica) is listed as an endangered species

Read more:
http://www.masterandmargarita.eu/en/04mappen/pasjkov.html
http://russia.rin.ru/guide_e/5/2.html

The Wells Cathedral in Somerset, UK

Wells was the first English cathedral to be built in the new Gothic style imported from France.  The first building phase took about 80 years to complete, building from east to west, culminating in the magnificent West Front shown on the postcard below.  About 300 of its medieval statues remain, including a theatrical stone backdrop used for feast day processions.  Read more about the Wells Cathedral here on its homepage.  

This beautiful cathedral can be found in the Southwest England

I received this postcard from Claire through the Just Postcards Round Robin 73.  This came with a stamp of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Almost all British stamps come with the image of the Queen

Wow.  Blogging about the postcards I received is really turning into a real learning experience.  Lots more postcards to scan in the days to come.  Awesome.